KCL's Reputation.

I'm in Canadian high school, considering studying law in the UK. I've been offered a spot at KCL with a 27000 pound scholarship, one of the full Dickson Poon ones (that's over three years, not annually),

I've also been given offers to all the top Canadian business schools. I applied to business in Canada as law is purely a graduate study in North America.

What I'm trying to assess is the strength of KCL's reputation. I'm trying not to be a "reputation whore" but since a foreign law degree is not particularly usefully, a school with prestige is kind of important.

So, what do you all thing of KCL? What are some schools in North America that you feel it is comparable to?

Why is it you want to study law? If by your own admission going to KCL would award you a 'useless degree' (presumably with regards to employment prospects in Canada), then why consider it in the first instance? Particularly if you're not a 'reputation whore'

UofT is a perfectly good University with a strong reputation for excellence, and it offers you a workable law degree (as apposed to a 'useless' one). It's a no brainer from where I'm sat...

Unless you are a reputation whore!! You whore.

It's comparable with NYU, for the regard in which it is held and for other obvious reasons.

I think it is not comparable in specifically this undergraduate admissions context with UoT. Because a Canadian student going to UoT has gotten into the best regarded school in her home country, or there is anyway none better, while a British student at KCL cannot make the same claim.

Haha. My offer to UofT is for arts. You can't study law in Canada til you have an undergraduate, and sadly arts is Canada is a bit of a joke. Unis are subsidized on the basis of offering lots of places, so a ton of kids who are average students study arts at top schools like UofT, UBC and McGill.

The Canadian offer I have narrowed it down to is Queen's Commerce, which is Canada's best undergraduate business program, and arguably the single most competitive program in Canada. Queen's business is great, however it is not well known as a university overall, just their commerce program, which is known for rivaling top american schools like Wharton (UPenn) in terms of placement. The trouble is, I'm just not that interested in Buisness, it's more of a practical route to what I am interested in: Law.

Well, I'd disagree about UofT being Canada's best undergraduate; I would say they are overated for all but graduate studies. Still, that's an argument for another day.

...KCL, at least on the UK tables, ranks quite low, behind Unis that are unheard of in NA like Bath Leceister, Lancaster, and Bristol. While I'm sure they are great schools, do you have any idea why there is such discrepancy between UK rankings at what seem to be your perception?

It's comparable reputation wise to the mid/lower Ivy League.

KCL, at least on the UK tables, ranks quite low, behind Unis that are unheard of in NA like Bath Leceister, Lancaster, and Bristol

For reference, here's a North American equivalent of the domestic league tables that have you exercised. It is the Forbes ranking: http://www.forbes.com/top-colleges/list/

You will notice that Harvard manages the trick of being best in the world and 8th in the US. Cal Berkeley, that global top-ten powerhouse and the only university in the world with designated Nobel Laureate parking spots, is #22.

It's different metrics, is all.

If I were you I'd go to King's. It's a good enough school, and very well regarded for Law, and that scholarship sounds super and will impress.

I'm in Canadian high school, considering studying law in the UK. I've been offered a spot at KCL with a 27000 pound scholarship, one of the full Dickson Poon ones (that's over three years, not annually),

I've also been given offers to all the top Canadian business schools. I applied to business in Canada as law is purely a graduate study in North America.

What I'm trying to assess is the strength of KCL's reputation. I'm trying not to be a "reputation whore" but since a foreign law degree is not particularly usefully, a school with prestige is kind of important.

So, what do you all think of KCL? What are some schools in North America that you feel it is comparable to?

Where would you see it against other UK schools? Would it have more in common with UCL and LSE, or Bristol, Warwick, Manchester and Notts?

I see KCL getting ripped on these forums, and that doesn't exactly instill confidence.

I'm in Canadian high school, considering studying law in the UK. I've been offered a spot at KCL with a 27000 pound scholarship, one of the full Dickson Poon ones (that's over three years, not annually),

I've also been given offers to all the top Canadian business schools. I applied to business in Canada as law is purely a graduate study in North America.

What I'm trying to assess is the strength of KCL's reputation. I'm trying not to be a "reputation whore" but since a foreign law degree is not particularly usefully, a school with prestige is kind of important.

So, what do you all think of KCL? What are some schools in North America that you feel it is comparable to?

I myself am currently torn between studying in Canada and going to KCL so it is nice to have someone in the same position as me!!! I have decided that (as long as I get the grades) I will be going to KCL. The idea of doing an undergraduate in Canada before having to do another degree before my first degree is even worth anything doesn't appeal to me. It's a waste of time. Your degree from the UK can be equivalent in Canada and if not you can take one year conversion course, which I am looking into. KCL is an excellent university and I honestly don't think I have loved any other uni in England or in Canada as much. I would say take the offer, but only if you're sure it's what you want to do.

I've done quite a bit of research on this, and I would hold up on the idea that you can just do a "conversion course." Even if you do the NCA, which will likely be two years, as you lack an undergrad, two years of highly expensive extra education, you still aren't promised an articaling spot. Foreign trained lawyers are frowned upon unless they are Oxbridge, and even they have some difficulty.

You should look into how Law firm hiring actually works; it largely takes place on campus in Canada. Do not count on this being a shortcut. It is not. If you want to be a lawyer in Canada, do your undergrad, write the LSAT, and go to Canadian law school. I'm only considering this route because I A. Have a scholarship, and thus won't suffer to much financial hardship, and B. Am not sure I want to be a lawyer at all, or in Canada, I just find law interesting.

The best thing for my own Canadian law career would be Queen's Commerce, than law school. I would have an edge in terms of hiring because my Undergrad is useful.

Do not got to the UK if your sole intent is to practice in Canada. I can't stress this enough.

If I were to decide to got back to Canada, I would go to law school, using the KCL LL.B as an undergraduate.

Oh sorry, I'm not applying for Law I've applied for Medicine so I'm guessing the two routes are very different. For me, all I need to do is some exams and then a one year conversion to ensure I've got Canadians health ideas etc.

Ohhh, my bad. Sorry to bite your head off. I have no idea for medicine, but given the demand for doctors in Canada, I imagine that it can't be nearly as hard as Law, where there is an excess of applicants for every job.

A friend of mine is actually doing Medicine at St. Georges next year.

Hahahha it's no problem at all. That's nice, are they coming from Canada to the UK?

that question doesn't really make sense. There are in all of those insitutions departments which better their counterparts at all the others.

I think Law done at KCL is as impressive as Law done at any of these. It is one of the strongest departments at that university.




if you mean by people who study there, then it should have you concerned.

If you mean by people who don't, what do they know? KCL takes stick domestically because (affectionately?) mocked by students at UCL and the LSE. And the jackasses on here jump in with it to be in the know. Sensibly, you might think that having these as rivals, that they care enough to make the joke, might be a backhanded compliment.

Something that I've seen on here recently, and which is evidence of the power of branding, is reference to "Strand Polytechnic", a joke name given to King's by the other prestigious London Universities, where the reference is being made by people who apparently believe (what is absolutely not the case) that KCL once was that. At the time that name was coined, the polytechnics were still in existence and there was no such thing as a former poly, such that it could only have been understood as a joke. Now, though, there is a generation of 17 year olds trying to work out which universities have changed status. Possibly this misconception on some people's parts is hurting it on TSR...?

I dunno. King's is a good school. If you think it's underregarded in the UK, perhaps that's for you a good thing, and it hardly matters if you're not intending to stay on in the UK. And if it is better (or over-?)regarded in your home country, that's good too. You can ride the discrepancy and benefit by it.